Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon
by Sofy9
Summary: A fan-made version of Arnold's biggest adventure yet! Arnold and company, who are now ten years old, win a trip to San Lorenzo in South America! Little does the class know, Arnold isn't just going for a good time. He has a secret agenda of his own.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter 1

"Aw man! I can't believe the fifth graders beat us again! This is the third time in a row!" Gerald complained as he picked up his bat.

Arnold dragged himself to the small bleachers to sit down. Helga stomped toward him.

"What happened out there Hair boy?! You could have easily caught the ball. This is the second time you cost us the game! Criminy!" She scowled with a menacing look.

"Yeah Arnold. How could you miss the ball? It landed RIGHT in front of you!" Sid yelled shaking his arms.

As the kids walked off huffing and complaining, Harold let out one last insult.

"Looooooser!"

Helga snatched the bat off the ground and stomped out of Gerald Field with the rest of the gang. Arnold, who really wasn't paying much attention to the kids' insults, just sighed. Gerald stared at Arnold. He knew something wasn't right. He slowly walked toward his best friend giving him a concerned look.

"Hey Arnold. You ok? You don't seem like yourself today." He said taking a seat beside him. Arnold didn't say a word. Gerald sighed.

"Well? I understand if you don't want to talk about it." Gerald stood up again and managed to take a few steps before Arnold broke his silence.

"Oh yeah…"

"Are you sure Arnold?"

"I'm sure." He said giving a fake smile.

"Okay man. Whatever you say." Arnold stood up and started to walk beside Gerald. The boys proceeded to Arnold's house. The two continued to talk about various things about what happened at school.

"Want to go get some ice cream?" Gerald suggested.

"No thanks. I'm going to hang out at home for the rest of today.." Arnold's mood saddened as the thoughts from earlier crept up on him again.

"If you ever feel like talking about I man, just let me know." He encouraged Arnold. Arnold smiled a little. The two did their signature thumb shake and went their separate ways. Arnold opened the door to the old boarding house. As usual, various cats and dogs poured out of the door. Arnold shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen.

"Heyyy Shortman! How did the big game go with the fifth graders today?" Grandpa said generally happy. Arnold sighed and laid his large head on his palm.

"We lost."

"You lost? What the Sam Hill happened?" He sat down taking a bite of his herring sandwich.

"I didn't pay much attention in the last half. I was thinking about something…We were tied and…I missed the ball."

"What were you thinking about? Did something happen?" Grandpa Phil became suspicious and waited for Arnold to reply.

Arnold rubbed his head.

"..It's nothing Grandpa…I'm just really tired from today's game"

Phil noticed Arnold wasn't himself and immediately started to pry.

"Uh oh. Sounds like a like young Arnold's got another one of his complex labyrinthine conundrums of a boyhood problem. What is it this time Arnold?" He said waving his sandwich around.

"It's nothing Grandpa…Just…a little tired that's all. Anyway I think I'll go to bed a little early tonight. Night Grandma. Night Grandpa." Arnold scooted his chair out and got off walking in the direction of the stairs.

"But your grandma's cooking fish tonight!" He yelled trying to get Arnold to come back.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry." His mood didn't change. Arnold dragged himself up the stairs. As he shut the door, Arnold plopped onto his bed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. So many thoughts ran through his head.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Arnold?" Grandpa Phil spoke as he trudged to through Arnold's door and then toward his bed.

"No. I just want to get some sleep."

Arnold's Grandpa decided that maybe rest is the best thing for him right now.

"Alright . You need anything just let me or your grandma know, Night Arnold!" Phil stood back up and walked out the door. Arnold didn't stir for a while.

As the night progressed, he showered, brushed his teeth, and changed into his pajamas. The exhaustion of today's events took over and Arnold finally went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter 2

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey-" Arnold groaned as he turned off his potato clock and rolled over. Despite a long rest, those thoughts were still fresh in his mind. He prepared for another long day at school. He hesitated to get up.

"It's school. I have to go." He said reluctantly as he slowly slumped out of bed and got dressed for school. He looked in the direction of his desk and saw his father's journal. He walked over to glance at it. He reached for it and held it in his hands. Arnold shortly after walked down the stairs and into the kitchen with his new backpack.

"Morning Arnold! How ya feeling?" Grandpa said grabbing the other half of his herring sandwich out of the fridge. Arnold sat there staring at his grandpa.

"Mm… Okay I guess" He said with very little emotion. Grandpa placed his wrist on Arnold's forehead.

"Still not feeling well, shortman? Maybe you should go back to bed."

Grandma appeared with a spatula of hot pancakes and plopped them onto Arnold's plate. Arnold's eyes followed the tawny pancakes until they fell in front of him.

"Pookie, watch it with that hot spatula." He said as if it happened all the time.

"Thanks Grandma…" he said taking a few bites from his breakfast.

"No grandpa I'm alright. It's just that I really don't feel like going to school today."

"Why is that? You get to go and see all your little friends like Gerald…and…" Grandpa took a bite out of his fishy delight as he took the chair beside Arnold.

"I know. It's just.. never mind Grandpa." He stopped eating and sat up.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I'll see you after school" Arnold stated as he walked out the door. Grandpa started to feel troubled by Arnold's disheartenment.

"Ok Arnold.."

Arnold left the stoops of his house only to run into Gerald. He stayed silent. Gerald looked at his unhappy expression.

"Hey man…something wrong?" Gerald asked again.

"No I'm okay. We need to hurry if we are going to make class." The two walked fast and jogged into Mr. Simmons's class. Arnold, as usual, grabbed a seat by the window. Gerald took the seat beside him and began to talk to Sid and Stinky. As the rest of the kids took their seats, Mr. Simmons walks in with a rather large geography book.

"Hello class!" He says cheerfully. The class reacted otherwise.

"Hello Mr. Simmons.."

"Today we are going to start off giving out our math tests. Most of the class did really well!" He passed out the tests. Some of the student groaned while others cheered.

"I got a C! I ACTUALLY GOT A C ON MY MATH TEST!" Harold yelled.

"Yeah right pink boy and I'm Mary queen of Scotts…" Helga retaliated. She was only met with a glare.

"I really did Helga" He said grumpily into her face.

"Okay class, we were going to start on our poem assignments, but instead we are going to continue our studies on South America! Lately we have been learning the different countries and cultures of South America. So, for the next week that's what we will focus on for most of the day! " The class moaned.

"Oh come on now! We are going to start off by studying life in Amazon rainforest. You are going to make your own diorama showing at least 3 different kinds of animals and 3 different kinds of plants! We will work on these until lunch!" Mr. Simmons's said vivaciously. The class stood and cheered.

"Oh darn, I left the homework in the folder back at home…" He said under his breath since the class was still cheering.

Arnold who remained seated could only look on in sadness. All he could think about was his parents lost in the jungle, or maybe even dead. He had a melancholy look on his face and aimed his sights out the window.

"We will work in pairs of two! Pick your partner and we will get started!" Mr. Simmons walked to where the supplies were and placed out the treys on the extra tables in the corner of the classroom.

"Like always man?" Gerald said as he offered his usual thumb shake. Arnold lightened up a little and completed their little handshake.

"I'll get the paint and you can grab the glue and scissors." Arnold said in his usual tone. The two got up to get their supplies. The class worked on the projects for the next couple hours. Ten minutes before the bell rang Mr. Simmons stood to get the classes attention.

"Oh class, before I forget, I was handed a sheet this morning talking about the cultural studies we've been working on the passed two days. Our school has announced that it will participate in the essay contest! This year the judges will award the winner and his or her class, a round trip to South America for a whole week!" The class gasped at the thought of going to an actual rainforest. "Can you believe that! A whole week in the Amazon jungle! "Arnold's world went silent as couldn't believe what Mr. Simmons just said. His hands lost the grip and the glue and all the trash he acquired fell to the floor. Mr. Simmons looked in the direction of the loud noise.

"Oh dear what a mess. Try to get that cleaned up before you head to lunch Arnold…Arnold? Are you…okay?" He said aloud. Some of the kids took their gaze off their projects and stared at Arnold. Arnold snapped back to reality.

"Oh-ohh yeah. I was just excited about the contest. Sorry Mr. Simmons!" He said rather buoyantly as started to pick up the mess he just made. Gerald took notice of his quick change in attitude.

The lunch bell rings and most of the kids head out to lunch. Gerald stay behind to see what could be going on with Arnold.

"Hey Arnold. You've been acting very strange lately. Are you sure nothings wrong man?" Gerald asked again. Arnold could only look at him with a smile. "Everything's fine Gerald! Go save a table at lunch! I'll meet you there in a few minutes!" Gerald raised his brow.

"Okay Arnold. Whatever you say…" Gerald was hesitant to walk out, but went ahead anyway.

Mr. Simmons looked up to notice that Arnold was still there cleaning up the station. After Arnold finished, he sat down and lost himself in his thoughts.

"Arnold? Are you not going to lunch? I have to lock the room. I must to run back to my house to pick up my folder for today's other lesson plans."

"I'm fine Mr. Simmons. Is it ok If I stay here just for a few minutes?" He asked politely. Mr. Simmons grabbed his keys and nodded.

"Yes, it's fine "I-I'll lock the door so when you leave shut it on the way out?" He gave a smile and went out in a hurry.

For Arnold it was nice to have it silent. For those few minutes he thought about his parents. He grabbed the small backpack out from under his desk and pulled out a brown book. It was his father's journal. He couldn't believe the chance of him finding out about his parents could happen just like that.

"I have to enter that contest! I will enter the contest! If I ever have a chance to finding my parents, this is it! I can't believe it." He smiled. He stared at the journal and then out the window. A few minutes pass and with his stomach starting to gurgle, Arnold placed the journal back in his backpack and headed to the lunch room.

"Hahaha! Sid you have got to be kidding me." Gerald, Sid and Stinky didn't refrain from laughter until Arnold appeared. Arnold seated himself next to Gerald.

"Hey guys. Sorry I ran a little late. I need to clean up the rest of the mess" Arnold gave the kids a lame excuse.

"You've been acting weird lately.." Gerald uttered as he took another bite of his meatloaf surprise.

"Everything's fine Gerald. I just got really excited about the essay contest. I have to win it!" Arnold's reaction prompted Sid, Stinky, and Gerald to give him a confused look.

"Arnold, you know hard that will be? Many kids enter and usually someone else wins. Even Phoebe lost. You are going to need a miracle Arnold." Gerald said rather bluntly. Sid replied.

"Yeah . If Phoebe couldn't win, what makes you think you could?" Stinky looked at Arnold.

"Face it Arnold, it's darn near impossible to win that trip."

Arnold gave somewhat of an angry look. "I'm going to enter that contest and I am going to win that trip. I'll do whatever it takes!" He took a bite and took his gaze off the other boys. Sid, Stinky and Gerald gave him another puzzled look and didn't respond back to Arnold's outburst.

'I will find out what happened to my parents. Winning his contest will give me the answer' he thought to himself.

After lunch was over, everyone returned to class.

"Alright class! For the rest of today we will work on starting our book reports!" On cue, the class objected. Mr. Simmons let it go and passed out the book report information sheet.

"Before the bell rings I will also hand out the info for the essay contest!" He retorted returning to his desk and sat down in his brown teacher's chair.

It was a few minutes before school let out and the class was starting to pack and become a little restless. Mr. Simmons stood back up grabbing a bundle of packets.

"Class. Class! I have the handout for the essay contest! I hope you all will enter, because who knows, if you win, not just you, but the whole class will get to take an exciting trip to the Amazon! First, I will mention that the essay will be a short story! You have to make it a tale of adventure! There is so many possibilities!" Arnold listened intently.

"So we just make up our own story?" Stinky answered back. Mr. Simmons let out a chuckle.

"Yes Stinky. Be creative with it!" He responded.

"Second, it has to be 2-5 pages long." Quite a few of the students didn't react kindly to the page limit they were given. Mr. Simmons took a another look at the packet.

"And last, it has to be written in pen when doing the final draft."

"It's due by the end of next week! And remember to read the packet carefully! You can ask for help from your mom and dads, uncles and aunts and even your grandparents! Good luck to all of you!" Mr. Simmons headed back to his desk. The bell rang shortly after and the class got up to leave.

"The guys were going to head to the park to play some Frisbee. Want to come Arnold?" Gerald gestured toward the direction of the park. Arnold thought for a moment before he answered.

"No can do Gerald! I have a lot of work to do!" Arnold smiled as he picked up the pace and headed back to his grandparent's boarding house.

The rest of the boys looked on shaking their heads and just shrugged it off as they trotted off to the park.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter 3

It's been a week and a half since the start of the essay contest. Arnold has been studying everything he can about South America's Amazon rainforest. The different animals, its dangers, and fruit that grows there. Although he studied everything he could, much of the rainforest is still shrouded in mysteries. As Arnold continued to brain storm ideas for his essay, he heard Grandpa call his name quite loudly.

"Coming Grandpa!" He headed toward the bathroom door.

"I'm expecting a package, can you go check? The new table ware is supposed to come in." He uttered through the wooden door.

"Uhh sure thing grandpah…" He agreed. The tired boy trotted to the door and the door creaked open. The man walked up handing Arnold the package. "Can you sign this for me." Arnold grabbed a pen laying on the small end table by the door. He signed the paper and headed off with the package.

The man curved his head attempting to read the signature.

"Can you spell that for me?" He kept tilting his head.

"Shortman. Arnold Shortman. S-h-o-r-t-m-a-n" He smiled faintly. The man gave a nod and shut the door behind him. Arnold advanced into the kitchen and put the box on the table and headed upstairs to get back to work on his essay. A few minutes later Gerald was knocking on his door.

"Arnold? Are you in here?" Gerald said knocking. Arnold snapped back to reality for a moment to get up and answer the door.

"Oh hey Gerald." He said rather sluggishly.

"What have you been up to? I've tried to get in touch with you a few times and even asked you if you wanted to do something after school, but you said you were busy." Gerald was a bit irritated at he fact that his best friend has been ignoring him for the passed couple days.

"I'm sorry Gerald. This essay is extremely important to me. I promise we'll go to the arcade or something later okay?" He said sitting back at the desk. Gerald walked over and noticed all the paper laying about and mountains of crumpled paper around the desk and the mini trashcan.

"Whoa man! You have really been working hard haven't you? Do you mind me asking you exactly why this is so important to you?" Gerald finally decided to ask.

"I can't….I can't tell you. At least not yet okay? All you need to know Is that it'll mean the world to me if I win this contest." Gerald was at a loss. He knew Arnold was dead serious and decided to leave it at that until he was ready to tell him.

"Okay man. I trust you. Good luck and go easy. You still have three more days to do it. If you ever need to get away you got my number." Gerald offered as he walked toward the door.

"Thanks Gerald." He gave a faint smile and turned around to get back to work. Gerald let him be and proceeded out the door.

It's been over an hour and Arnold hasn't budged.

"This is harder than I thought. I haven't written a single sentence. What do I do?" He felt hopeless. He never felt so low. 'If I don't try to win, I may never get the chance to find them' He laid his head down and turned to face the wall. His eyes wondered until it landed on a familiar book. His eyes stared for a brief moment and shot up.

"Wait a minute. The journal! I can use my dad's journal for my story! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! This is great!" He grabbed the journal and immediately began to read it again.

For the rest of the night he wrote and rewrote the essay. After doing the final draft of the essay he looked at the clock. It was a little after 3 AM.

"Oh man! It's getting really late. I need to get to sleep…" He said groggily. He laid in his bed and without much hesitation he drifted off to sleep.

It was a cloudy morning in Hillwood. Arnold stirred and open his eyes. He realized his alarm didn't go off yet, but decided to get up anyway. He turned off his clock and changed into his jeans with a teal shirt and then slipped on his plaid shirt. As he walked downstairs he heard a familiar voice echoing from the kitchen.

"Hey Arnold! Breakfast!" Grandpa yelled while flipping some eggs on one pan and bacon on the other. Arnold finally reached the door frame of the kitchen. He yawned loudly and dawdled toward the chair.

"I meant to tell you that your teacher called. He said your grade was slipping shortman. What's been going on? You've been cooped up in your room for over a week. Your friends have been asking for ya everyday." He disclosed on him wondering why he's been acting different. Arnold thought for a minute and decided that he needs to know what his case was.

"Okay Grandpa. I was a little unsure of how you would react, but I entered an essay contest at school…" He said with a low but serious tone. Grandpa looked at him with a silly expression.

"Is that it? I thought something bad happened at school. That's really interesting shortman. Why is this essay so important to you that you barely hang out with your friends for a whole week?" He spouted grabbing a plate and placing it on the counter.

"Grandpa. We've been….studying about South America….and…if I win this essay contest. I get to win a trip to South America to spend a week learning and exploring the Amazon Rainforest…along with my class." Grandpa went completely silent.

"Oh Arnold. So that's what…you've been up to. Are you sure you want to do this Arnold. I know you miss your parents, but it'll be too dangerous to go look for them. Your teacher won't let you go out there alone. There is a lot of outcomes to this." His grandpa was stumped on what to tell him. He would very much love for him to win, but even if he did win and got his chance to go, it wouldn't be guaranteed that would find his parents. Would he find the answers he's been searching for almost a decade?

"I know Grandpa, but I have to try-" Arnold gazed at Phil.

"Promise me Shortman that you won't go alone…anywhere." Phil didn't move a muscle. Arnold knew his grandfather could trust him.

"I promise." Arnold smiled. Pookie of course bounced in as usual trying to squash all the flies.

"Don't worry Kimba. You will need supplies for this mission." She held his shoulder attempting to look secretive. Arnold smiled bigger at his delusional, yet lovable grandma.

"I have to win first Grandma.." He said a little unsure of himself.

"What do you have to write?" Grandpa stated as he placed Arnold's breakfast on the table.

"We have to write a story! A story with characters and a bad guy and stuff. I couldn't think of anything for the longest time, but then I got an idea. Here's my finished one!" Arnold grinned widely.

"I got my story from…dad's journal!" Grandpa's eyes widened.

"Wow shortman, that's a lot of pages! I'm sure you'll win the contest! I'll be rootin' for ya!" Grandpa said as Arnold inhaled his food.

After breakfast he said goodbye and ran out the door.

It was Friday, the big day! The class was rowdy as usual. Mr. Simmons finished grading papers and stood up, "Class I have an important announcement! When the bell rings we all have to head to the auditorium! Principal Wartz has some announcements and he also has really exciting news!" He said, cheerfully as usual. Arnold was the only one who was really interested. Once the bell rang, the classes headed to the auditorium. The students played around, threw paper airplanes and were cutting up. Principal Wartz approached the microphone.

"Students of PS. 118! May I have your undivided attention,…" The students simply ignore him. The principal put the microphone up to the speaker creating feedback. The loud screech shut the students up pretty quickly. As the students settled, Principal Wartz continued to speak.

"I have a big announcement! I have received word that a lucky student at our school won first place in the essay contest!" Arnold's heart pounded faster and faster. 'Someone from our school won it?! Wait…does this mean…' Principal Wartz received the envelope and surveyed the students.

"Of course as Principal, I am also invited to this trip." He quickly turns around to cheer for the fact that he gets to go. Arnold was on the edge of his seat.

"The grand prize winner who won a trip for him or her and his class is Andrew…uhhh!" He exclaimed. Arnold's heart dropped. He was speechless and his body started to feel numb. Some of the students displayed confusion. Mr. Wartz put his glasses on to take a closer look.

"Oh! My apologies. I misread the name. The real winner of the contest is..ARNOLD SHORTMAN!"

His heart started to race again and was in shock. He smiled and headed up there to grab the envelope. He stood there not know what to say. He couldn't hear anything. The only thought that went through his mind was his parents. He achieved the goal. He won the essay, now the real goal begins, find his parents. The class cheered and patted Arnold on the shoulder for winning. Arnold didn't take any notice of the class's high spirits.

"Congrats again, young Arnold for winning the contest! You are all dismissed." He paraded away from the microphone as the students cheering grew louder. Harold popped up first screaming at the top of his lungs.

"NO SCHOOL FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK. ALRIGHT!" Sid immediately followed after Harold and then Stinky also shouted out of sheer joy.

"We get to go to the jungle! Frog heaven!"

"Do you reckon we'll get to go raftin' and hiking!?" Phoebe encouraged Stinky's outburst.

"I'm sure that is only scraping the surface of the events we could be participating in on the trip!" She smiled widely.

"Wow Arnold! You did it!" Gerald spoke finally breaking his silence.

"I did!" He said exuberantly. His excitement made his body feel numb. He couldn't believe it. He got up with the rest of the students.

"The packet says we are leaving at the end of the school year. That's three weeks from now Gerald. We have three weeks to prepare." Gerald was still completely oblivious to Arnold's intentions.

"You really are hyped up about this aren't you?"

"you'll see Gerald. This is more than just a trip…I have to go home and tell my grandparents! Hey…Want to meet up at the arcade later?" He offered with a smile. Gerald sighed still utterly muddled.

"Uhh okay sure. Catch you later..!" Gerald knew Arnold was up to something, but decided to shrug it off again. 'I hope I can find out why Arnold is acting like this.'

"Grandma! Grandpa! I WON! I WON THE CONTEST! I'M GOING TO SAN LORENZO!" He declared as he opened he dark green door to the old boarding house. They celebrated that night on Arnold's exciting news. He was going to San Lorenzo!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter 4

The week of the trip approached fast and no one was more piqued than Arnold. Already more than half way packed for his excursion, he went for his desk and saw the journal. He looked back toward the bag and thought for a moment. 'Maybe I should take the whole book…' Arnold smiled and stuck the journal in his backpack. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Come in!" Arnold said not really paying much attention to whomever was at the door. His grandfather entered with something in his hand.

"Hey Shortman! Only a couple more days till your trip! I know it is exciting, but I would like to talk to you for a few minutes." He said as he a took a seat on Arnold's bed.

"I want you to remember Arnold that sometimes things don't always come out the way we want them too. You have to be aware of all the outcomes. I just don't want you to get hurt. "He waited for Arnold's response.

"I know, but I just want answers more than anything. I know it'll be hard, but at least I'll never have to wonder. I have to do this grandpa." Grandpa Phil knew there was nothing that would stop young Arnold.

"Just think before you act Arnold. I don't want to lose you. Please be very careful." He warned. Arnold knew what he was doing isn't a game. It's real. Arnold looked at him and smiled.

"I promise I'll be careful." Grandpa rubbed his head and rose up from Arnold's bed.

"You really are growing up aren't you shortman? Oh, your friend Gerald stopped by a while ago asking if you were home. Why don't you go enjoy a game of baseball or something'." As his grandfather walked out the door Arnold put his packed bags together and ran down stairs. Once he opened the door to outside, there was Gerald. He was waiting patiently on the last step of Arnold's stoop.

"Hey man. Still up for the arcade?" He asked with a grin. Arnold gave his famous half smile.

"Sure." Gerald looked beside him at Arnold.

"The whole gang's coming."

The two boys headed to the arcade where everyone was waiting.

Helga was at home getting her bags packed too. Thankfully, she knew exactly what to pack. All she needed was two duffel bags and her sleeping bag and pillow. She travels back down stairs.

"Dad! Come on! The whole class is going! Why can't I?!" She scowled. Her father turned around, only to scowl back at her.

"You are too young to be out there in the jungle by yourself Olga.." Helga sighed.

"It's Helga…dad. And besides, I won't be alone. The whole class is going, including Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz.." Big Bob got a splendid idea.

"That's a great idea. I'll make Olga go with you and your little class" Helga cringed at the idea, but put on a fake smile anyway. 'As long as I go I think I could handle Olga coming with us.'

"Suuuure dad. That's a great idea. Yeah let Olga come with us." she tried desperately not to wince. Helga handed him the permission slip. He snatched it from her hands and signed it.

"There. I'll call Olga and get her here.." He scowled walking out the door. Helga just let out a low growl and grabbed some loose change. She trudged by the kitchen and a passed out Miriam.

"I'm going to the arcade" She said grimacing as she toddled out the door.

It was the day of departure. As usual, the class was pretty restless. Mr. Simmons's class was waiting in the classroom.. The bus that was going to take them to the airport was running late. As the class chattered amongst themselves, Arnold was quiet. He was more interested in what was out the window. Helga comes in late and was being shadowed by her perfect sister Olga. The class observed this while she went to the empty seat by the door.

"Finally made it. "She grunted. Mr. Simmons wasn't sure why she came.

"Oh Helga. Are you coming after all? Do you have the permission slip?" Helga sighed with a irritated expression and walked over to Mr. Simmons and handed him the permission slip. Mr. Simmons greeted her with a smile.

"I'm glad you get to join us on this special…and exciting trip to the jungle." Helga only shot back a scowl.

"Yeah yeah.." She sat back down. Olga grabbed the other empty seat beside Helga and continued her random conversations. The class slowly started to crank back up and converse amongst themselves.

Principal Wartz jaunted into the chatty classroom with a baggage cart. He gave a waving salute signaling that it was time to go.

"My apologies for the long wait boys and girls. Our caravan has arrived! We need you to calmly approach the baggage carts and place your bags-" Attempting to be calm and organized, Principal Wartz was instead in the middle of a stampeding class barreling towards him. He swiftly got out of the way as the students piled most of their bags untidily onto the carts.

"Hey! Remember students. Only two small carry-on bags per student!" He stated raising his index finger up.

The class didn't pay much attention to their principal. As soon as the class had their stuff ready they barreled toward the school's main entrance and started to pile onto the bus. The only two stragglers were Arnold and Helga.

"I can't wait to see what it's like in the Jungle! I'm sure it's full of wonderful creatures and big trees!" Phoebe said with her usual sweet tone. Gerald smiled and followed beside her to the bus. Helga didn't make much of it and only responded with a sarcastic answer. "Yeah…I can't wait.." Arnold looked at Helga, "You aren't the least bit excited Helga?" Helga was obviously tired and handed him a small grunt.

"Not really, hair boy." Of course, no one knew that Helga was secretly pining over Arnold and the fact they'll be in the jungle together, even if the other kids are there. As the two slowly approached the bus there was one seat left for the two. Helga's eyes widened, but then went to half lid again. Arnold only sighed.

"Looks like we have to share the seat until we get to the airport.." He said reluctantly and sat down. Helga took a seat beside him and sunk down. With a bored look on her face, most thought she would probably fall asleep. Harold was hanging over the seat chatting with Stinky and Sid. He laughs and checks the duffel bag beside him.

"Aww man! I left my chocolate bars in my other bag. Aww I'm so hungrrry!" He complained and sat back down doing his usually pout routine. Sid and Stinky only laughed. Rhonda was searching through her purse, "I can't believe we are going to a silly hot ol' jungle. How can they think that's fun?" She asked Nadine. Nadine thought otherwise.

"How can it not be? It's bug heaven! I brought some extra jars to catch them all so I can study them more!" She poked into her duffel bag to grab a jar she had handy to show Rhonda and then put it back. Lila decided to give her answer.

"I think it'll be marvelous! Just ever-so marvelous!" The sweet tone made Rhonda roll her eyes.

"We'll see…" She slouched in her seat.

The class continued on to the airport. They arrived early and waited to be boarded. There was a lot of hustle and bustle. People would bump each other now and then. Arnold started to become impatient. His whole future could depend all on this trip.

"This is it boys and girls. Stay together! Our plane is this way!" Mr. Simmons stated strolling to the gate entrance. One of the female workers approached to Mr. Simmons.

"I'm sorry sir. You'll have to wait over there. I'm afraid the plane was delayed due to weather conditions. It should arrive later this afternoon." Mr. Simmons tried his best to keep the smile on.

"Okay class. Our plane was delayed. We'll have to wait for it patiently. We all must stay together. We have to get our luggage in and go through the security check points." The students finished their preparations and all of them gathered in an area full of empty seats. The class moaned and so everyone went to be seated and waited impatiently for their plane.

Five o' clock was coming up fast. Some of the class was drifting off to sleep. Then suddenly, a voice came over the intercom.

"Flight 90 is ready for boarding at gate 33. Again flight 90 is ready for boarding at gate 33." Mr. Simmons perked up.

"That's our plane! Okay class. Let's line up!" They proceeded to get to the gate and board the plane. Helga scowled again at the fact that Olga is sitting right beside her. Thankfully Phoebe gets to sit right beside her on the plane as well. Most of the class had an area of the plane to their selves. As the hour ticked away the plane finally departed. After a few minutes of getting settled, Harold set off the cue and all the kids started raising a ruckus. The kids switched around in their seats. Harold, Stinky, and Sid were up to their usual deviousness. Stinky decided to grab a yahoo while Harold dug through his bag and pulled out a bag of chips. Then you have Rhonda, Lila, and Nadine talking amongst themselves. A familiar young boy with a bowl cut hair do pops his head over the seat.

"Give daddy some sugar!" Rhonda jumps and then cringes at the sight of him.

"Oh! UGH!" She leans back even more. After a few more exchanged words, she couldn't take anymore and moves back a seat. This does not stop Curly from also moving up between Nadine and Lila to harass Rhonda some more.

"1, 2, 3, and JUMP!" Sheena sings halting Eugene through the air and down the isles. Helga was writing in her pink book when on cue, Brainy pops his head over the seat and wheezes. Helga growled and socked him in the face. Olga turns back to Helga continuing her chat about her successful life. Phoebe also kept rambling on. Gerald and Arnold were just talking amongst each other. The class was in a constant state of chaos until several hours later they finally calmed down. As most of the class got comfortable in their seats, Gerald popped on his headphones as Arnold settled himself as well. Since most of the class has already dozed off, Arnold glanced around. Gerald was listening to his music and the others don't seem to be awake or paying attention. He bent over and grabbed something out of his carry-on bag.

'I'll be there soon Mom…Dad…' he said looking at the journal that he pulled out of his bag. He steered his eyes toward the window with journal clenched in his arms. Gerald opened his eye for a second to see Arnold with a saddened look on his face.

"Hey Arnold. Something wrong. What are you doing?" Arnold snapped back to reality and shifted his gaze.

"Oh..no. I'm fine Gerald…." He tried to shift a little and put the book off to the side out of his sights. Gerald noticed something brown in the corner of his eye.

"...What's that?" Arnold slowly pulled it back out.

"Uhh..y-y-yeah. It's a really good book." he looked down at it smiling. Gerald raised a brow. He sat up and turned towards Arnold to get a better look.

"It says Journal. So is it a book about a journal.?" He said reaching for it. Arnold immediately moved it away from Gerald.

"No.. I mean. it's a story about someone's life. It belong to someone in my family. That's all." He gave him a reassured faint smile. Gerald stared for a minute and gave Arnold a half lid gaze.

"Oh I see. So are yooouuuu….up to play some cards?"

He said showing him a deck of cards. Arnold copied Gerald's look and thought for a moment.  
"Nahh…it's getting late. I might turn in for the rest of the night…" He whispered moving his bag a little more under the seat.

"Okay Arnold. Whatever you say." Gerald situated himself back in his seat and went to sleep. Arnold's light was the only one on. He looked at the journal and some of the pictures his father drew. It was only a matter of time before they would be in South America. Arnold started to feel a little uneasy and a little nervous. He was up for another couple of hours before he finally became sleepy. It was around two in the morning. He stuffed the journal back into his bag and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, a group of explorers arrive in the city of San Lorenzo. The leader, Fernando, who is a tall tanned skin man with jeans, a light colored shirt, and a tawny hat, turns to his group of men and smiles.

"We have a class of fourth graders coming for a week long trip. We must prepare a proper greeting!" The men immediately grabbed their gear and headed to the welcome center. Fernando stared at his map of San Lorenzo with a glimmer of red in his eye. He stared at the men for a moment and they all looked back.

"The time has come...It won't be long now." He said as he stuffed the map in his back pocket.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter Five

It's now late morning and most of the class is barely stirring. One of the flight attendants came trotting down the isle with a small menu.

"Any of you children want some breakfast?" And of course Harold was the first to answer,.

"How about some sugar chunks lady!" He said groggily as he attempted to re-adjust himself. He woke up Sid and Stinky with his whiny voice.

"Hey Harold. Why did yall have to go and wake me up for. Wait a minute are we there finally?" Stinky started to get a little excited. Mr. Simmons turned around facing where the boys were.

"Harold it's still early let's keep it low. And not yet Stinky. We're almost there…"

Time passed and the majority of the class was awake, but barely. Arnold scooted over toward the window and peaked through the glass. His eyes widened a little. The view was beautiful. The vast jungle covered much of the region.

"Whoa… Gerald! Look out the window!" Gerald opened one of his eyes,

"What..?" He also took a spot of the window to see the view.

"That's a lot of trees." He commented. Arnold could only keep his gaze at the beauty around him. A lot of the kids were also interested and a lot of them crowded toward the windows to look out and see for themselves.

"Whoa! Ooo! WOW!" Some of them shouted in awe of the beautiful limitless rainforest. Olga was also gazing out the window.

"Oh Helga! It's it woooonderful?" She spoke softly as she admired the view. Phoebe also marveled at the vista below them. Helga rolled her eyes and grumbled.

"It's just a bunch of trees and bugs…yeeeesh" She slouched in her chair even more than she was.

A voice on the intercom caught the kids' attention.

"Please be seated and buckled as the plane descends and prepare for landing." The class scrambled to their seats

and secured themselves and their belongings. The plane started to shake and rumble as it landed roughly on the runway. Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons waited for the plane to safely stop.

"Okayyy class! Grab your things and wait in the isle in a straight line. We'll get off of here in just a minute!" Everyone was chattering amongst themselves. Arnold only looked ahead. It won't be long before the start of his biggest adventure yet. After several intervals passed the group was still waiting. The class finally started to move toward the exit of the plane. Slowly the class disembarked out of the doorway. The kids one by one took turns observing the area around them. Arnold was one of the last ones and gazed at the huge forest around him. His pace quickened down the stairs of the plane. He dropped his carry-on bag and kept his gaze upwards.

'_I finally made it! _' Arnold's smile got bigger. This was it! The quest to find his parents had finally begun. Mr. Simmons motioned everyone to follow him.

"Boys and girls! The village we'll be staying in is right down here! There's not many people herebut there are a few villagers, however, are here to help us get settled. We'll be here for a whole week!" He looked ahead of the wide path and saw a sizeable opening. Some of the class started to pick up their pace and run toward the opening. Arnold was one of them and eventually made his way in front of the class. Everything around him would steal his gaze. The smile on his face emerged and grew. Mr. Simmons took notice of Arnold's interest in the fauna and foliage around him.

"Isn't it amazing Arnold! It's going to be an exciting week of learning!" Arnold turned his sights to Mr. Simmons.

"Yes it will…" Arnold wish he could talk about his parents, but that was his secret mission. It was to find them, but it's obvious that no one would allow him to go.

The class stood in the opening of the village. The class looked at their huts.

"We are staying…here!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed. The class only stood there a bit too dumbfounded to talk. Most of the class liked it, save for a few. They proceeded to run around looking at their abodes for the week.

Rhonda wasn't very happy.

"We're staying in these dumps? You have got to be kidding.…." She said quite bluntly. Lila's hands embraced each other and a smile shot across her face.

"Oh these are so lovely! Just ever-so lovely!"

The tour guide and his men approached the children as the luggage was discharged from the plane. As the kids grabbed their bags, this older lanky old man approached the class and Mr. Simmons.

"This must be the class we were told was arriving! Hello and welcome to the glorious republic of San Lorenzo! My name is Fernando and I'm your tour guide for the week." he said with a very heavy accent.

"Class say Hi to Mr. Fernando! If you ever have any question just ask!" The class bluntly answered back

"Hello Mr. Fernando…" Mr. Simmons grinned. Fernando snapped his fingers and his group of explorers came forward and picked up the children's luggage and started to transport them to their huts.

"Alright boys and girls it's time to assign you your cabin numbers...or should I say huts?" he let out a chuckle and observed his list. "After you are assigned a cabin, you may find your luggage and take it to your cabin." The men who were helping carry the class's set all the luggage set them down in front of the class.

"In cabin one we have: Arnold, Gerald and Eugene!" Arnold and Gerald did their thumb shake. Eugene was only smiling and silent.. "Then we have in cabin two: Harold, Stinky, Sid, and Curly." The exuberant trio looked at each other.

"Ohoho yeah!" Harold cracked a grin.

"For cabin three we have Brainy, Iggy, and Lorenzo." The three seem to agree on the arrangements.

"Now for the girls! In Cabin four we have Helga, Phoebe, and Olga!" Helga scowled at the fact she had to share her cabin with her 'perfect sister' and of course Olga couldn't be happier. Phoebe seemed quite content.

"Cabin five consists of Rhonda, Nadine, Lila and Sheena!" The girls complied. "The last cabin will Be Principal Wartz and I. If you need something or anything happens, please let us know right away. Go ahead and get your luggage and arrange it how you want it! We'll give you two hours to unpack and get settled!" The students grabbed their things and headed to their cabins. Arnold and Gerald entered with their bags and picked themselves a bed.

"Never thought we'd have bunks.." Arnold spoke observing the contents of their cabin. "Mind if I take the bottom bunk?" Gerald shrugged and didn't seem to mind at all.

"I love bunk beds!" Hey guys, can I take a top bunk? Eugene blurted. Arnold and Gerald looked at each other and smiled.

"Sure Eugene...I'll take the bottom bed on the other bunk." Gerald said placing his bags beside the bed. As Arnold sifted through his stuff he came across his smaller one strap bag. He turned his gaze to Gerald and Eugene who weren't really paying attention to Arnold at the moment. This prompted Arnold to take the bag and place it under the bed out of their sight. He needed to put the items he planned on bringing with him when the time came to sneak out. Arnold then looked back into his duffel bag and came across his father's journal again. He again sneakily stuck the journal into his shoulder bag. Gerald decided to pounce on the bed to see how comfortable they were.

"They're actually kinda comfy…" He looked at Arnold suspiciously placing things in a small bag.

"What are you packing Arnold?" Arnold jumped and was quick to think of an excuse.

"Oh…haha…it's just…a small pack to carry some water and maybe something we might need when we go hiking…or something." Gerald raised his brow.

"Oh..um okay then." he laid down on the bed smiling. "I can't wait to see what we're gonna do first." Arnold shook his head. The thought of him sneaking out was constantly on his mind. When would be able to sneak out and can he do it without anyone noticing?

"I'm interested too…." Arnold fixed his bags neatly and also plopped onto his bed. Eugene took out a couple of his comic books and crawled to the top of the bed. Gerald watched him clumsily climbed up only to fall a short two seconds later.

"ah...I'm okay.." He said trying to shrug it off. He climbed to the top bunk and finally got his chance to try out the bed.

"Hey these are kind of comfortable! Ahhh. Well I'm going to read some of my comic books!" the other two were only smiling and shaking their heads.

Rhonda unwillingly dragged her bag to the closest bed.

"This is getting annoying already. I just want to get my bags in and call my parents…" Nadine dropped her bags beside the bed Rhonda claimed/

"I'll take the top bunk!" she climbed the post to get up to the top. She hung her head over the bed and stared at Rhonda." You know your technology won't work out here…right?" Rhonda froze.

"Don't be silly Nadine…I have the best of the best when it comes to technology." She said perking back up. Nadine shook it off and rolled back over. Lila and Sheena came in giggling shortly after Rhonda and Nadine.

"I can't wait to go hiking! I just love it ever-so much!" she smiled even bigger. Sheena clutched her hands.

"I'm also very excited! Can't wait to see all the adorable animals and all the trees! Hey Lila you want the top bed?" Lila nodded, "That would be nice, but I'm sure you should take it." Sheena agreed, "If you're sure." She replied in a sweet tone.

In Helga's cabin, the only person who was talking was Olga. "I'm so excited Helga! I've really wanted to visit central America! It's so wonderful!" Helga sarcastically replied.

"Yeah. It's a real doozy." Helga stuffed her bags beside her bunk on the right. "Hey Phoebes…do you have my other snacks in your bag?" Phoebe dug into her bag and pulled them out.

"Right here, Helga!" she smiled. Helga didn't really react and just took them from her. She took a deep breath and fell down onto the bed.

"These beds aren't too bad…" She said stretching and placing her arms under her head. She closed her eyes and tuned out whatever was happening around her. Phoebe pounced herself on the bottom bed of the other bunk and cuddled with the pillow.

As time progressed, the kids all gathered for their first hiking trip in the humid jungles that make up the Amazon. The tour guide, Fernando, came out with a map.

"Today we are going to the river banks! We also have a little surprise for you on our way!" He guided the kids on the trail.

"This is a huge forest…" Stinky said gazing at the trees around him. The tour guide smiled.

"Yes…Mr…Mr..?" He looked at Stinky waiting for a reply.

"The name's Stinky sir." Fernando furrowed his brow.

"Well Mr…Stinky…There are thousands of trees! In fact the rainforest covers 2.7 million square miles! The Amazon is home to 2.5 million insects. There are thousands of plants and over two thousand birds and animals.

Most of the fauna is made up of fish and birds with well over 3000 species combined!" He said with an exaggerating tone of voice. Some of the class reacted and looked around in awe.

"Whooaaa!" Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes. Some of the class jumped. A large snake slithered toward one of them. Helga jumped into Arnold's arms squealing and scaring the snake. The snake scurried off in another direction, prompting Helga to immediately get out of Arnold's grasp.

"Ew…Don't get all mushy on me, Arnoldo!" Her reaction only made Arnold give her an annoyed expression.

Arnold only shrugged it off. The class continued till they arrived on a ledge showing a huge valley. In front of them was a long rope bridge.

"Boy howdy look at that!" Sid's voice echoed looking over the edge and into the valley. The kids said a few of their own reactions to the marvelous vista in front of them. Arnold especially was amazed. It was thanks to all the stories his grandparents told him about his parent's various adventures. Their guide, Fernando smiled and held out his hands to let one of the kids go first. Most of the class was reluctant to go across. Arnold stared straight across and not a trace of fear was seen on his face. He took a step onto the bridge to see how sturdy it was. He kept taking more frequent steps and felt generally okay to keep going across the rickety hundred year old bridge. His best friend could always trust Arnold so he was the next person take the step and followed Arnold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Voyage to the Amazon**

Chapter 6

"Only a couple more can go until they get to other side, just take it easy.." He said comforting the scared children. Harold was almost in tears.

"I might be scared, but…but I'm not chicken!" He took a baby step and was trembling just a bit. After a few steps he suddenly became brave. "This isn't so bad.." he said letting go of the railing.

"Ok two more kids can continue across...There we go…" the tour guide spoke in a low tone. Eventually, the whole group was on the bridge, but a good majority of them weren't moving very fast.

"Something tells me this is not a good idea…" Gerald said breaking the silence. The tour guide only smiled, "Many of tourists have crossed this bridge. It might be old but it's quite sturdy. No need to worry."

It took a while before the class was mostly across. Now and the class would talk to each other to pass the time.

Arnold and Gerald took the first step onto the other side.

"We finally got off that bridge…A little too high for me." Arnold had a small smile as he looked at Gerald then looked ahead.

The tour continued. They walked through various paths and beautiful views. Arnold took in everything as he went along. Any information that could come in handy when the time came. Halfway into their exploration, they stopped at a large open hut.

"I'm sure you kids are quite famished. Thankfully, we had everything prepared for you!" Fernando said politely while holding out his hand. The class immediately became excited. including Harold.

"ALRIIGHT!" He was the first to barrel over and take a seat. He did not hesitate to take the first bite of lunch. As the class sat down, Arnold and Gerald sat toward the end.

"The Jungle isn't all that bad…but it's still too humid. Maybe wearing a hoodie wasn't the brightest idea." Gerald leaned back and removed it from his torso revealing his red boys tank tops. He wrapped his hoodie around him and tied it around his waist for now.

"I'll just toss this in my bag at the cabin when we get back.." Arnold didn't really talk much. He had way too much on his mind. _'Maybe I should tell Gerald what I planned on doing. I promised Grandpa I wouldn't go alone…I don't know if I should bring it up now…or wait-.' _Arnold was snapped back to reality thanks to Gerald waving his hand in front of Arnold's face.

"Earth to Arnold. Are you in there? Man, you have been acting weird for a while now. Something's on your mind. You know you can always talk to me." Gerald said encouraging Arnold to talk.

"Well...it's a long story…I'll tell you later on tonight when everyone's asleep." he whispered hoping no one would hear him. Gerald was immediately intrigued.

"Oh okay…" the two continued to eat..

After an hour the class was waiting for their tour guide, Fernando for any further instructions. Fernando was with his small group of men talking about various things.

"Is it time…I mean we are alone boss-" The shorter one, named Tiotom exclaimed to his boss. The taller lanky one, Feliciano, agreed, but before he could speak, Fernando placed his hand over his face.

"It's only the first day…On the third day, we'll get them in on the boat tour and then, it's time to carry out our plan, but for now...keep it quiet, you hear?" He said threateningly to his cronies. The three put smiles on their face and walked out side of the smaller hut. Fernando clapped twice and stood in front of the long table the class was sitting at.

"I hope everyone's full as we are ready to head out on our next adventure! For the rest of today we'll explore some of the local caves and get in some beach time, what do you say amigos?" He put his fists on his hips waiting for a reply. He got a good majority of the whole class cheering. Olga could barely speak. Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz also seemed pretty ecstatic.

"Alright! Let's go back to your cabins and grab whatever you feel like taking with you!" The class clumped together and ran in the direction of their cabins.

"Uhh class! Slow down! We'll…We'll get there soon enough!" Mr. Simmons yelled in hopes of getting the class to tone down their excitement so he could keep up.

The only things the boys had to do was get into their trunks and bathing suits on. Subsequently, the boys waited outside for the girls. In Rhonda's cabin, Lila had on a cute light green one piece. She grabbed a light colored towel and some sunscreen.

"Your bathing suit suits you well Lila." Rhonda complimented as she grabbed her expensive tan oil and decorative beach towel. "Finally, we gave something a bit more relaxing to do. This jungle is just way too humid and there are tons of bugs everywhere! I've already got cuffs on my brand new boots. It's simply driving me crazy." Sheena couldn't see why Rhonda didn't like the jungle.

"I think it's lovely. It is a little humid, but there is plenty of shade from the sun and it's so full of plants and cute little animals!" Lila smiled at Sheena and replied, "I agree. It's beautiful, just ever so beautiful!"

In Helga's cabin the girls didn't take as long as the other girls did. Helga sprayed her sunscreen on and grabbed her towel and sunglasses and headed toward the door. Olga was holding her towel, "wait for me baby sister! I'm coming too!" she said giddily prancing toward Helga. Helga, as usual just rolled her eyes and stayed silent as they both walked out the door. She was still irritated about this entire trip. How would she plan some alone time with Arnold. In the mean time, all she could do was try and keep her cool.

Once everyone came out ready to go, the headed to the small bus. Helga raised a brow, "I thought we were going to the beach…what's this heap of junk doing here?" she scowled. The tour guide kept his composure and walked toward the bus.

"Well it's about a 3 hour walk there or we can take a the bus and be there in only about half an hour or so.."

The class didn't bother choosing and began to board the bus. For the rest of the day, they didn't hesitate to have some fun. Harold Stinky and Sid were up to their usual shenanigans while the other boys went exploring and swam off shore. Most of the girls were tanning or sitting under the umbrella chattering about how uncomfortable the trip was, but for now they were enjoying it. I wasn't long before nightfall that they packed up and headed back to their camp site.

When everyone retired to the cabins for the night, Gerald and Arnold were trudging side by side and Gerald glanced around to see what the other kids were doing. He concluded that the coast was clear and decided to ask about what Arnold had to say.

"So Arnold what exactly did you want to tell me..?" Arnold sighed, "I was going to wait until everyone was asleep or at least when we were alone in the cabin, so I can explain what exactly is going on. I'll tell you on one condition…You can't tell anyone about this. You have to promise me." Gerald smiled.

"Hey man you can trust me…" he said without a single drop of sweat. Arnold smiled back and the two entered their cabin, got into their pajamas and grabbed out some of their Purdy boys comics and relaxed on their beds until everyone went to sleep. A couple hours later most of the kids students were out like lights. Gerald was on the verge of falling asleep and then Arnold tapped on his shoulder waking him up a little more.

"Huh…oh I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes…" He whispered as he climbed down slowly onto Arnold's bed. Arnold had his arms wrapped around his knees with a doubtful manor on his face.

"Okay.." he was still hesitant, but he knew he could trust Gerald. "It's a pretty long story though. So… Gerald. Do you remember that day where were sitting on the stoop. when it was the anniversary of the day my parents left and never came back?" Gerald pondered for a moment, "I think…I think I do…"

"It was when you and the others went to Dinoland and was able to ride that Tyrannosaurus Rex Roller coaster, but I ended up not going." Gerald shot his head up, "Oh yeah.. Yeah now I remember!" He smiled and resituated his legs to get comfortable.

"Well later on that day I was fed up thinking about my parents all this time. So, I put all my parent's stuff up in the attic and when I put the box up…I found something." Arnold crawled around Gerald to get to his bag and snatched the journal out of it. Arnold brushed off the journal and he opened it.

"This was what I found. It's my father's Journal and since grandpa would always read me stories, I decided to let him read it to me. I found out so much stuff about my parents. It was amazing! After he finished reading it I was sitting on my stoop found this…this map." He opened the journal and flipped to the end of it and unstuck the page revealing the map. Gerald's eyes scanned the page with his mouth slightly ajar. He was letting Arnold's word soak in.

"My mother was a doctor and a botanist. My dad was a doctor too and he was a scientist. They helped lots of people. The day they left, they were headed here. They came here to San Lorenzo…You see, the jungle has villages, now and then some tourists, but there is also an ancient civilization that still exists somewhere in the jungle. They are known as the green-eyed people. The green-eyes are very secretive and cannot be seen in the light of day…or…well at least no has seen what they look like anyhow. In the journal, my dad explained how their civilization would be struck with deadly diseases like one that was called the sleeping sickness. So my parents would travel all over South America to find the cure and help them anyway they could. That's what they loved to do. They eventually were welcomed as members of their tribe…" Arnold would now and then turn a page gazing at his father's words in the journal smiling every know and then. "It wasn't long after helping the green eyes that mom and dad had me. After sometime, they decided to move back to Hillwood, because the jungle was too dangerous for me. It wasn't long before my first birthday came up and we had a party and everything, but then my parent's left to go help the green-eyes again. I never heard from them again." Arnold sniffled as he held back the tears that were on the verge . They nor their plane was ever found…and I thought about this a while and wasn't sure what I could do. I feel like this was my opportunity to find my parents…or at least find out what could have happened to them." he said as his expression saddened and his spirit dampened along with it. He stayed silent for a few minutes. Gerald wasn't sure what to say. Everything that Arnold told him seem to all come together. He stayed silent for those few moments and then

"Wow Arnold. I didn't realize. This explains everything! No wonder you wanted to win that essay so bad. So you're saying the reason why this whole time you've been acting so strange was because you had a map that could lead you to your parents? I don't know what to say man…It's brave to take on this task to find your parents, but it's been almost ten years…The likelihood of them coming back isn't very good. I'd hate to see you get hurt, but I have to admit that this essay contest and this trip was uncanny. You are definitely a bold kid Arnold." Arnold smiled faintly and closed the journal as he placed it back into the bag.

"But there is a few problems…I promised Grandpa that no matter what, I wouldn't go alone…and...well-" After all the bizarre and crazy adventures they have had back in Hillwood, Gerald did not have a doubt in his mind nor his decision.

"It sounds pretty crazy. It sounds like that it could be one heck of an adventure, but I think after all this time you deserve some kind of answer, Arnold. You're my main man, You are true blue Arnold, count me in! What's the plan?" The two did their signature thumb shake and this made Arnold smile big. It made him happy that no matter how crazy things may become, it was nice to always have somebody there you could rely on. Arnold was now pumped more than ever.

"What would I do without you Gerald." Gerald smile and just shot a half-lid gaze at his best friend. Arnold thought for a moment and the look on his face showed he was pretty stumped about it all.

"I don't know yet exactly… It's not going to be easy. The tour guides do patrol now and then. I've been writing down some notes to help when I'm out in the jungle, like what berries to eat and stuff. We just have to be careful and make good time. We only have a week to do this." Arnold repositioned himself and getting comfortable, but before he would go to sleep, he turned back over facing his best friend. "I forgot to ask you something…" Gerald stopped moving and looked at Arnold.

"What?"

"I have a small pack with a few things we might need like snacks, some water and other stuff like bandages and I think I have a flashlight too. Do you have anything to bring?" Gerald pulled out a small pack too with a water bottle attached to the side pocket. Arnold's smile faded but reappeared again. He laid the pack on the edge of his bed.

"Carry only what you need. We need to keep it light as possible. The less we have the more we can go." Arnold implied as he snuggled himself under his covers. Gerald placed the pack beside his larger bags and climbed up to the top bunk.

"I'm not sure when we have to sneak out but it'll have to be when everyone is asleep. Anyway we have time to figure out when exactly we must go. For now let's get some sleep. We'll need plenty of rest if we are going to pull this off. Goodnight Gerald." Gerald covered himself.

"Night man." the two soon eventually drifted off to sleep.


End file.
